The present invention relates to recreational device using medals in the form of a medal game device, and a chucker with slits used therein.
Various types of devices are known as medal game devices based on so-called medal dropping games. In such medal game devices, for example, a medal inserted into a medal inserting port is typically supplied to a pusher portion provided with a medal table moving reciprocally in the forward and backward directions. When a medal accumulated on this pusher portion is pushed out and drops from the pusher portion to a prescribed location, this medal is paid out to a player.
In addition, some of these medal game devices are provided with a medal passage portion on the front surface of the medal table, and when a medal passes through this medal passage portion, a prescribed lottery, for example, is carried out, and a prescribed benefit (such as paying out a number of medals greater than the usual number of medals paid out) is given to the player corresponding to the result of the lottery.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a medal game device in which a moving table is provided in front of a medal chute in which medals are inserted, and a comb-like or plate-like obstacle plate having slits is provided in a prize box arranged there above. In this medal game device, the comb-like obstacle plate is provided to be able to move to the left and right, and this movement increases the difficulty of medals passing through the slits.
In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a medal game machine provided with a medal insertion device for inserting medals onto a flat playing surface, and a medal discharge device that moves back and forth in the forward and backward directions over the flat playing surface, wherein a plurality of blade plates that obstruct the passage of medals by rotating to the left and right are provided in a medal passage port of a pushing plate of the medal discharge device. As a result of employing this configuration, the pattern of movement of the plurality of blade plates obstructing the passage of medals can be made to be complex, thereby serving to suppress a decrease in the variety of the game by preventing the patterns of movement from being easily anticipated by a player.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-179922
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-225267
However, in the medal game device described in Patent Document 1, since the width of the slits in the obstacle plate is fixed, even if the obstacle plate moves to the right and left, it was not possible to further adjust the degree of difficulty of medal passage. In addition, since the obstacle plate is in the form of flat plate, it was inherently difficult for medals to pass through the slits since medals released from the medal chute enter the slits on an angle. Moreover, since the obstacle plate independently serves as an obstacle to the medals, it was necessary to provide a winning prize port for medals that passed through the slits separate from the obstacle plate.
On the other hand, in the medal game machine described in Patent Document 2, a complex and intricate cam mechanism was required to rotate the plurality of blade plates to the left and right. In addition, although the slit intervals between the blade plates change due to the left and right rotation of the blade plates, since the size of the slit intervals changes periodically within a series of operations of the blade plates unless the rotating speed is changed, the movement pattern of the blade plates cannot be said to be complex with respect to this point. Alternatively, if the rotation speed were changed, the slit interval would end up changing continuously, thereby resulting in the risk of the opposite effect of increasing the difficulty of medal passage beyond that which would be expected by a player (in other words, medal passage would be excessively difficult). Moreover, similar to the medal game device of Patent Document 1, since the blade plates independently serve as medal obstacles, it was necessary to provide a winning prize port for medals that passed through the slits between the blade plates separate from the blade plates.